History was made in Egypt on Friday, while on Saturday the IFAF men’s flag football champions of Africa will be crowned.
The group stages at the first-ever IFAF Africa Flag continental championships produced comebacks and close encounters and only one nation remains unbeaten with four teams positioning themselves to challenge for gold medals.
Eight nations proudly represented Africa at the Club One Maadi Stadium in Cairo with hosts Egypt among those in medal contention going into tomorrow’s playoffs.
Tunisia boasts a 3-0 record having beaten Uganda, Morocco and Senegal, conceding an average of less than two touchdowns per game. In the semifinals, they will face early front-runners Nigeria, who opened with wins over South Africa and Cameroon before falling to Egypt.
“The third game seemed like we're a little tired and we got beaten by one touchdown, so I think it was definitely our not our best game today,” said Nigeria quarterback Hayes Obinna Uzoh. “I expect a better performance tomorrow. I expect us to be rested and ready to go. We are very confident.”
The hosts edged an opening game thriller 32-31 over Cameroon, which included Abdelrahman Haggag of Egypt scoring the first-ever touchdown in an African men’s continental tournament. They faltered in a 25-30 loss to South Africa before rebounding to top Group A with a 28-19 defeat of Nigeria.
“I can’t believe it,” said Egypt quarterback Mahmoud Aboushady. “It was a very tough game. So many emotions, it was so close, and the game was on the line for a long time. I’m honored, if I was to include everything in one word.
“The defense saved us today and they carried us through many situations. On the offense we were on and off and we had some mistakes, but the defense truly carried us throughout all three games.”
In Saturday’s semifinals, Group A winners Egypt will take on Group B runner up Morocco, while Group A winner Tunisia faces Nigeria, with both games played at 10am local time. The winners will advance to the Gold Medal Game at 6.45pm.
The bronze medal will be contested by the semifinal losers at 4.15pm, and teams that occupied third and fourth spots in the group stages will compete in placement games.
Men’s Tournament Medal and Placement Games
Semifinals, 10am Egypt vs Morocco Tunisia vs Nigeria
Placement games, 11.15am 5th Place: Cameroon vs Senegal 7th Place: South Africa vs Uganda
Bronze Medal Game, 4.15pm
Gold Medal Game, 6.45pm
Men’s Tournament Group A
Results Egypt 32 Cameroon 31 Nigeria 40 South Africa 20 Nigeria 47 Cameroon 20 South Africa 25 Egypt 20 Egypt 28 Nigeria 19 Cameroon 31 South Africa 27
Standings Egypt 2-1 Nigeria 2-1 Cameroon 1-2 South Africa 1-2
Men’s Tournament Group B
Results Morocco 34 Senegal 20 Tunisia 46 Uganda 0 Tunisia 26 Morocco 14 Senegal 19 Uganda 18 Tunisia 33 Senegal 18 Morocco 48 Uganda 8
Standings Tunisia 3-0 Morocco 2-1 Senegal 1-2 Uganda 0-3
Ali Rafik, president and founder of EFAF, The Egyptian Federation of American Football, welcomed players and coaches from 11 teams representing eight nations, dignitaries and supporters to the Club One Maadi Stadium in Cairo.
“It is a great honor and a proud moment to welcome you all to the very first African Flag Football Championship, hosted here in the heart of Africa, the vibrant and historic city of Cairo,” he said. “This event marks more than the start of a tournament. It’s the beginning of a new journey for our sport across the continent.
“Today, we gather. Not just to compete, but to unite through teamwork, sportsmanship, and a shared passion for the game.”
